One-Shot: The Interview
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: I imagine that the Golden Trio had to do some interviews about their adventures, particularly during the War. Though, I am sure they would have resisted the spotlight until they couldn't any longer. This is a story of Harry, Ron and Hermione's first big interview about the Horcrux Hunt. Kind of a pseudo-parody of Dateline murder mysteries.


**One-Shot: The Interview**

Ron Weasley turned back from the mirror towards his wife. "Love, can you help me with my tie?"

Hermione Weasley stepped forward to straighten her husband's tie. "There. Perfect." she announced proudly. In his suit coat, Ron looked devilishly handsome. She pecked him on the lips lightly. "Ready?"

"Whenever Harry is."

"I mean, for the interview," and even the Greatest Witch of Her Age could not hide the fear in her voice.

"Hey," said Ron gently, rubbing her arms soothingly. "We have to tell people about what happened during the war sometime, Hermione. But, if you're that scared, Harry and I can tell the details that you don't want to or can't."

Hermione stared up at him with an adoring smile. Sometimes, she could not believe this was the same little boy who had once made fun of her for how she pronounced Wingardium Leviosa. "I love you," she sighed.

Ron grinned. "I know." They kissed again, only to be interrupted by Harry Potter, in a suit coat himself.

"Come on, you lovebirds!" their brother-in-law and best friend smirked. "We're going to be late!" Hermione pressed down the last creases in her pretty red dress and the Golden Trio hustled out the door. Ginny gave her husband a kiss as they raced out.

"Love you! Have a good time!"

* * *

The interview, which would be televised live as a special report a few nights hence, went very well. Emotions were raw for the Golden Trio, but that was to be expected. Nevertheless, Harry, Ron and Hermione each got to divulge parts about their hellish year during the war, searching for and destroying the Horcruxes to bring Voldemort down.

A few nights later, a huge party in anticipation of the interview's premiere was held at the Burrow. All 26 members of the Weasley family were there, along with dozens of old friends and Dumbledore's Army members.

As the anticipated hour approached, Molly, the Weasley family matriarch, ran outside and called, "It's starting any minute! Everybody inside!" The horde of guests crowded into the family room in front of an old Muggle TV set. Finally, the program started.

The initial parts went well. Harry, Ron and Hermione began with the Battle of the Seven Potters, escaping from Bill and Fleur's wedding, and breaking into and then back out of the Ministry of Magic with Slytherin's locket. After general descriptions of life on the run, they reached the first painful part of the interview, which was Ron's to tell.

"We each took turns wearing the Horcrux," Ron explained. "Right away, we discovered that each of us could not wear the thing for very long because it had an adverse effect on us. It especially had a bad influence on me."

"What do you mean, Mr. Weasley? What did the locket do?" asked the interviewer.

"Well, I can only speak for myself. My wife and brother and I have never really shared with each other how the locket made each of us feel. For me, though, it was Voldemort's voice, speaking to me. Overtime, the locket preyed on my worst fears, thoughts and emotions, inflicting what I can only describe as reverse psychology, psychological torment. It belittled me, made me feel inferior, made me see things that weren't really there – like, for example, some kind of romantic relationship between Hermione and Harry."

"And was that true, Mrs. Weasley?" asked the reporter.

"Absolutely not," Hermione stated flatly. "Absolutely not. Harry and I have only ever loved each other like siblings." Here, she laughed softly. "I guess it's poetic justice, then, that we became siblings through marriage."

"Anyway," Ron continued, "One night, I had the locket on – and I just…exploded. I was shouting all the nonsense the locket had implanted in me. Harry and I fought – physically fought – for the first, and so far, only time in our relationship. Hermione started crying. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer; not feeling acknowledged or appreciated by either of them. So, I tore the damned thing off my neck, left the tent and Disapparated. You see, the Horcrux – and by extension, Voldemort – knew the three of us were a threat to their plan, so their objective became to drive us apart. To accomplish this, Voldemort and the Horcrux identified the weak one – me – and went after me, trying to split a wedge between the three of us. And it worked." Ron now became very emotional. "I abandoned my best friends. I made my brother think I hated him…and I hurt the woman I love." Tears rolled down his face, which he tried to wipe away on his sleeve.

"Take a moment," the reporter encouraged. Hermione took her husband's hands in hers. "Ronald, look at me. Look at me, honey." When Ron finally did, Hermione's gaze bore into him.

"I forgive you. Any resentment I had left for you deserting us vanished the day I agreed to marry you. I _love_ you. And I will _always_ love you." Ron beamed at her through his tears, and kissed her forehead. Then, Harry reached around Hermione and clasped Ron's hand. The men stared hard at one another.

"And you will _always_ be my brother," Harry said firmly, meaning every word.

The interview continued. Harry and Hermione described the ambush at Godric's Hallow, and then finding the sword of Gryffindor. At this point, Ron took over again, describing rescuing Harry from the pool and then, bravely, divulging every last little detail of destroying the locket.

"Voldemort said, 'I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears. All that you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible. Least loved, always, by the mother who craved a daughter. Least loved, now, by the girl who prefers your friend. Second best always, eternally overshadowed…"

"I guess words like that never leave you," the reporter observed.

"No," said Ron, shaking his head. "I hear them still, in my nightmares."

Hermione, who was hearing all of this for the first time, looked horrified. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?" she whispered fearfully.

"I didn't want to hurt you any more than I already had. And Rosie and Hugo…" Ron couldn't finish.

The story progressed. The visit to Xenophilus Lovegood, the capture by Snatchers, and the Trio's being taken to Malfoy Manor. Here, Hermione took a deep, shaky breath.

"You sure you want to tell all of this, sweetheart?" Ron asked her, stroking her cheek. Hermione's eyes steeled as she turned to him; she was determined.

"I have to. For closure." She took another breath and began:

"Once Greyback had taken Harry and Ron down into the cellar, Bellatrix attacked me with everything she had. She tortured me with Cruciatus – multiple times – and then stabbed through my arm with a magically cursed knife blade. All the while, she screamed at me how we had gotten the sword of Gryffindor out of her vault at Gringotts. In reality, we hadn't – someone else had, but that will be revealed later. So, I was telling the truth of where we found it, without saying exactly how, but she never believed me. She thought to the last that we had stolen from her. I think Bellatrix knew how important it was that the sword did not fall into our hands – that it could destroy Horcruxes – and she was panicked. She tortured me again and again, and she…she carved a…a word into my arm."

"What was the word, Mrs. Weasley?"

"…..Mudblood," Hermione finally got out. Then, she did something none of the Weasleys watching at home expected. She rolled up the long sleeves of her dress to reveal the bloodied scar. The reporter looked stunned. Ron then took Hermione's arm and surveyed the cursed wound, before he kissed each and every letter reverently, as if it was something precious. Hermione began to get emotional and melted into her husband's arms. Ron stroked her hair and soothed her.

"You never gave in, 'Mione. You could have, lesser witches would have – but you didn't. You are more of a witch than any magical girl I've ever met. I'm proud of you, our children are proud of you. You're my brave Hermione. I love you!"

"I- I heard you screaming my name," Hermione wept. "It gave me reason to live." She turned back to the reporter, who was by now emotional too. "Ron doesn't like for me to say this, but no matter what he thinks he did or didn't do that night, he did save me – in every way that a person can be saved. If he hadn't screamed for me like that, I would have died!"

"Well, Mr. Weasley, I can only imagine how scared you must have felt hearing your wife being beaten like that," the reporter guessed.

Ron looked the reporter straight in the eye. "I've never felt more scared, or angry, or helpless in my entire life."

"Neither have I," Harry echoed softly. With that, the program cut to half-time commercials.

"Coming up: A mysterious liberator. A fight for their lives. How will Harry and Ron get out of the cellar at Malfoy Manor? Will they rescue Hermione? And what will happen to Bellatrix? When Dateline's 'The Year We Disappeared' continues."

Back at the Burrow, most of the Weasleys were crying. The grandkids looked really frightened, especially James, Albus, Lily, Rose and Hugo, and were peppering their parents with questions. To calm everyone, Molly served snacks and administered Aspirins. After about 10 minutes of infomericals, the program resumed.

From there, Harry and Ron relayed breaking out of the cellar by attacking and strangling Wormtail. They told of Dobby's rescue and how he had died to save them. They told of their recovery at Shell Cottage, and then their break-in and dramatic escape out of Gringotts.

"So the dragon was real, Mr. Potter?"

"[chuckles] Oh yes, very much so. That was Hermione's idea – always good at thinking quick on her feet. As Ron said earlier, a couple of blokes like us would have lasted two days without her."

They moved on to arriving at Hogsmeade, being spirited away into Hogwarts, and preparing for the final battle. Ron and Hermione explained how they destroyed Hufflepuff's Cup in the Chamber of Secrets, and even relayed the intimate moment they shared afterwards, staring at each other doe-eyed and lovingly.

"So, that was your first kiss, Mrs. Weasley? In the middle of a battle?"

"[laughs]. Yes, it was very romantic. Only when it looked like we might die did I finally get the daft dolt to kiss me!"

"Bloody balmy, if you ask me," Ron muttered. "And, for the record, I didn't kiss you. You kissed me!"

The reporter looked like she was trying not to laugh herself. Harry was cracking up in his seat.

"This happens all the time, by the way," he explained to the reporter. "I'm just glad I wasn't there – I would've given them hell!"

The Battle was then re-hashed in great detail. Ron became emotional again speaking of his brother Fred's death. Then came Snape's demise and Harry told all of the juicy details regarding what he saw in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Finally, came the moment many had been waiting for:

"Now, Mr. Potter, stories have circulated that you actually died and then came back to life. Is that true?"

Harry paused for a long time. "Yes," he finally admitted. "I did. I walked knowingly to my own death in the Forest. I had the second Deathly Hallow, the Resurrection Stone, in my hand. Riddle hit me with the Killing Curse, and I died. I assumed that the Horcrux living inside me died at that moment too. In essence, my soul had been cleansed, so I could still live. I could go back if I wanted to. But Dumbledore's spirit told me I still had a choice. I could go, as he put it, 'On' – get on the train at King's Cross and sail off into eternity. But I knew I had a job I needed to complete. I had people who needed me – my wife, my brother and sister-in-law, my extended family, my friends. I had to finish what I started. So, I came back."

"Would you say that you are a kind of Christ-like figure, then, Mr. Potter?"

Harry cocked his head and stared at the reporter. Then he smiled in thought. "You have asked me a question no other journalist has ever asked me. Christ-like figure…No. I wouldn't say that. I didn't die for anyone's sins. I died so that others might live and that we could be free. I died so that another would meet the death he had deserved long ago – and even then, I pitied Tom at the end. I still do."

"You've called Voldemort by his original name throughout our talk. Why?"

"Because that's his true identity. I never believed – and I still don't – that his persona as Voldemort was who he truly was. In spite of everything, in spite of everyone who has ever hurt any of my loved ones or myself – my aunt, uncle, and cousin; Bellatrix; Voldemort, and even Snape - I still believe that people are truly good at heart. And interestingly, only one of those people ever let that inherent goodness that makes us human shine through in the end."

"You mean Snape?"

"Exactly."

Finally, the Dark Lord's fall was told. Lester Holt, the program's narrator, cut through pictures detailing the Golden Trio's later lives - narrating as he did so.

"Well," said the reporter. "I am sure you will tell your kids about this someday when they're old enough."

"Actually, they'll probably hear about it from watching this," Ron interjected. All four of them chuckled.

"Nevertheless, when your children hear this story from you all, how would you describe it to them? Would you call it a war story?"

"Oh, most definitely," Harry acknowledged. "But that's not all it is. I happen to think this is also a love story. Now, does that have a large part to do with my best friends' romantic relationship blossoming right in front of me over the course of that year? Yes, it does, and I'd also call that really bloody bad timing [laughter]. And I'm sure that is all that my daughter and nieces will want to hear about [more laughter]. But, you know, it's also a love story between all three of us – Ron, Hermione and I. Our fate as a family was, I think, sealed over the course of that year. We had reached the 'friends for life' milestone a long time before that. And even if our formation as a family unit hadn't been made official through law and clergy, Hermione and I marrying into the same clan and all that – I think we would have made sure that we considered ourselves family later in life. I am almost certain Ron and Hermione would still be the godparents of my children, and I'd still be the godfather to each of their kids. We became too close over seven years – and that last year especially – to not remain involved in each others' lives."

At last, the reporter spoke one last time.

"You all are such heroes. So brave. But, I have to ask: if any of you could do it all over again, would you change anything?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. In that moment, something passed between them – a mutual understanding of some common purpose.

"No," all three said at the same time.

"Why?" the reporter asked curiously.

"Because" Hermione explained, "I think – while we would love to go back in time, to do away with all the bad moments, or pretend they didn't happen – those moments shaped Harry, my husband and I into the people we are today just as much as the good moments. The bad ones finished setting us up on the paths we have taken – and they have turned out to be wonderful paths indeed. Careers, marriage, our beloved children."

"So, those bad times and the futures you think they helped shape – it's all been worth it."

"Without a doubt," Hermione concluded. "Without a doubt."

With that, the interview ended. Lester Holt had the last word:

"That's all for this edition of Dateline. For all of us here at WSNBC, I'm Lester Holt. Thank you and goodnight."


End file.
